Interacting Systems

Earth is a system that has many parts—the atmosphere (air), lithosphere (land), hydrosphere (water), cryosphere (ice), and biosphere (life). Each part is continually changing and interacting with the others. Air blows over the land, ice melts and becomes rivers, and water flows to the ocean and cuts through the land.

Studying Earth as a system reveals just how interconnected all of Earth’s various spheres are:

The atmosphere is the body of gases, called air, which surrounds our planet.
The lithosphere is the solid, rocky crust, called land, that covers Earth.
The hydrosphere includes all of the water found on our planet, including oceans, lakes, rivers, streams; underground in reservoirs; and in the air as water vapor.
The cryosphere is made up of the areas of snow or ice around the globe.
The biosphere is composed of all living organisms on Earth, including plants, animals, and microbial life.

Take Notes

Pick two spheres from the list above. Name at least three different ways that these spheres interact with one another.